Government
The smell of popcorn drifted through Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater, but the tubs in the audience members’ hands sat untouched as people sat in tense silence, watching graphic scenes in an Alabama prison unfold before them. About 100 people attended the one-night screening last Wednesday of HBO’s “The Alabama Solution,” which included a panel discussion about corruption and abuse in the penitentiary system. The screening was organized by the nonprofit For the People, as part of a broader effort to…
First in a three-part series about Oakland agencies preparing for major federal funding cuts. Oakland is bracing for nearly $25 million in federal funding cuts — a blow to the cash-strapped city that has been grappling with budget deficits. The cuts represent a 34% decrease in federal funding from the previous year, according to an Oct. 1 memo from the city administrator. The city expects to receive about $49million in federal funds in the current fiscal year, which ends June…
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is holding a series of community events to engage residents on a potential plan to reform the city’s charter and change the current system of government. In part, the charter reform effort aims to fix a structure in which authority is spread across multiple offices, making it difficult for residents — and even officials — to know who is responsible when problems arise. A group called the Oakland Charter Reform Project began advocating a year ago,…
Oakland is considering a controversial policy that would allow the city to clear homeless encampments without offering people shelter first. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the policy Tuesday. Councilmember Ken Houston introduced a proposal on Aug. 28 that would give police more authority to clear encampments, tow vehicles being used as homes and penalize unhoused people who return to vacated sites with a citation or arrest. “Oakland has a moral duty to intervene compassionately but firmly,” Houston…
The intersection of 75th Avenue and Hawley Street in Oakland is in a graffitied industrial area flanked by apartments and recreational vehicles that double as homes. Piles of trash are heaped on the sidewalk — household and industrial waste, discarded toys, clothes, shopping carts, electrical gadgets, tires, furniture, and construction debris that rain has washed onto the road. Under the elevated BART tracks, more garbage. The area magnifies the illegal dumping problem that has been plaguing Oakland for years. Last…
An Oakland restaurant’s viral Instagram post last week had a ripple effect in the Bay Area: “Monster Pho will now offer children a free meal until the SNAP is funded,” it said. Several other restaurants then followed Monster Pho in offering free meals to the thousands of people who don’t have money to buy food this month because their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have stalled during the federal government shutdown. On Friday, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration…
Alameda County announced Friday that it has secured $1.5 million in emergency funding to support residents who receive SNAP benefits, which have been delayed by the federal government shutdown. “One thing I know about Alameda County, one thing I know about the town, and one thing I know about the East Bay and these electeds behind me is that we take care of our own,” U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon said at a news conference Friday that included county officials, mayors…
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a news conference Thursday urging calm and unity as federal enforcement threats loomed over the Bay Area. “Oakland is and will continue to be a welcoming city for our immigrants and our refugees,” Lee said. “We will remain calm, focused, and united. We will not allow outsiders to create chaos or exploit our city.”. Her remarks came moments before President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he was calling off plans for a federal…
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced Friday that the city would deploy crews to clean up illegal dumping sites during weekends. The weekend crews will respond quicker to residents’ trash complaints, Lee said. Her announcement comes amid increased pressure from advocacy groups and residents who say officials need to do more to clean up the trash littering the city. “As Mayor, I want all of us to build an Oakland where our streets reflect the dignity, pride, and resilience of this…